Weekly Franciscan reflections
Start every week here, with a Franciscan reflection on what the Gospel, St. Francis, and biblical stories offer to us that we can bring forward into our daily life.
Reflection for week of October 5th, 2025
God is the creator
St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians the Church has ever known, presented five “proofs” for the existence of God. One of them is called the proof from creation. It contends that creation demands a Creator, just like a piece of art requires an artist to make it.
Although some people deny the validity of this argument and believe that creation is simply a giant accident, most people find it reasonable to believe that if there is a creation, there must be a Creator who made it. Who or what that Creator is has been debated for centuries. Those of us who believe in the truth of the Scriptures give a name to this Creator: God, Deus, Yahweh, Dieu, etc., depending on the language you speak.
The Book of Genesis contains two stories about how God created the world. These stories are meant to be theological, not historical. Among the things they reveal is that God created the universe out of nothing, by speaking it into existence. In Hebrew, God’s Word is called Dabar. God spoke His Word and things came to be. The Gospel of John eventually told us that Jesus is that Word, and that all things were created through Him.
Many spiritual leaders view humility as the most important of all virtues. Our coming reflections will serve to strengthen that viewpoint.
St. Francis ends the Canticle of the Creatures with a mention of this virtue. The omnipotence of God, His infinite power, will help us to understand the need for our humility and the humility that God Himself shows regarding creation, the pinnacle of which is the Son of God becoming one of us.
This week, let us reflect on the creation that surrounds us, and the artist responsible for it.
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